Austin Healey has been fined by the Disciplinary Committee of the British and Irish Lions for comments which appeared in a newspaper article printed under his name during the recent tour of Australia. The three-man committee, made up of tour manager Donal Lenihan (Chair), coach Graham Henry and Lions captain Martin Johnson, took the unanimous decision to impose a fine on the Leicester player, believed to be in the region of £2,500, after they found him to be in breach of his contract with the Lions over comments made in an article printed by The Guardian newspaper on July 13 of this year.
At today's hearing held at a Dublin Airport hotel, Healey told the committee that he did not write the article, in which Australia lock Justin Harrison was called an ape, nor did he say or agree with what was said in the article, and that he did not have the opportunity to check the article before it went to print. He also insisted he found the comments contained within the article completely unacceptable.
Although the committee accepted his submission and took it into account, they ruled that players have to take responsibility for the personal arrangements they make with the media, and for any statements published under the player's name. In a statement released this afternoon, the committee stated that they accept Healey's regret but because the incident was so serious and did damage to the tour, they felt they had no choice but to impose a fine.
It now remains to be seen if Healey will lodge an appeal against the ruling. The player left Dublin without making any comments to the waiting press although Leicester rugby director Dean Richards, who accompanied Healey to the hearing, spoke briefly to reporters. "Needless to say, Austin would like a bit of peace and quiet and a chance to reflect on the hearing," he said. "He may make a public statement in 48 hours."
Filed by Amanda Fennelly
